U.S. patent application number 11/334739 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-10 for architectural speaker assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to Audio Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to R. Brent Howard, Christopher A. Swan.
Application Number | 20060177088 11/334739 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36779981 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060177088 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Howard; R. Brent ; et
al. |
August 10, 2006 |
Architectural speaker assembly
Abstract
An architectural speaker assembly includes a speaker supported
within the speaker enclosure of a mounting fixture. A grill is
provided to conceal the speaker. A grill support is configured to
support the grill substantially flush with a facing ring of the
mounting fixture to blend into the surrounding ceiling or wall. The
grill support includes a concave wall that surrounds the speaker. A
number of bosses project form the wall, each boss supporting a
permanent magnet that magnetically engages the grill to firmly hold
it on the grill support.
Inventors: |
Howard; R. Brent; (Lehi,
UT) ; Swan; Christopher A.; (Templeton, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Maginot, Moore & Beck;Chase Tower
Suite 3250
111 Monument Circle
Indianapolis
IN
46204
US
|
Assignee: |
Audio Technologies, Inc.
Columbus
IN
|
Family ID: |
36779981 |
Appl. No.: |
11/334739 |
Filed: |
January 17, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60643949 |
Jan 14, 2005 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
381/391 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R 1/023 20130101;
H04R 2201/021 20130101; H04R 1/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
381/391 |
International
Class: |
H04R 1/02 20060101
H04R001/02 |
Claims
1. An architectural speaker assembly comprising: a speaker; a
mounting fixture configured to support the speaker within a ceiling
or wall or a room; a grill configured to at least partially conceal
the speaker; a grill support engaged to said mounting fixture, said
grill support defining a wall surrounding said speaker and having
an inclined upper surface offset from said grill, said grill
support including a number of bosses projecting from the inclined
upper surface toward said grill; and a magnetic interface between
each of said bosses and said grill.
2. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein: said
grill is configured to be attractable by magnetic forces; and said
magnetic interface includes a number of permanent magnets, each
supported by corresponding one of said number of bosses.
3. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 2, wherein said
bosses define a bore sized to receive a corresponding one of said
permanent magnets therein, and the magnets are affixed within the
bore with glue or epoxy.
4. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein said
magnetic interface includes: a number of permanent magnets affixed
to said grill; and a like number of magnetic elements supported by
a corresponding one of said number of bosses.
5. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein said
inclined upper surface forms a concave wall surrounding the
speaker.
6. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein: said
grill includes an outer rim; and said grill support and said
mounting fixture are configured to define a perimeter groove
therebetween sized to receive said outer rim when the grill is
magnetically engaged to the number of permanent magnets.
7. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein: said
mounting fixture includes a wall defining a speaker enclosure and a
mounting ring integral with said wall; said speaker includes a
speaker mounting ring configured to mate with said mounting ring of
said mounting fixture; and said grill support includes an inner
wall engaging said speaker mounting ring.
8. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 1, wherein said
mounting fixture and said grill support include opposing screw
bosses aligned to receive a mounting screw passing through said
mounting fixture into said grill support to engage the grill
support to the mounting fixture.
9. An architectural speaker assembly comprising: a speaker; a
housing configured to support the speaker within a ceiling or wall
or a room; a grill configured to at least partially conceal the
speaker; a plurality of magnets disposed about the speaker and
fixably secured to the housing, wherein the grill is configured to
be magnetically retained in a fixed position with respect to the
housing by the plurality of magnets.
10. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 9, wherein the
housing includes a concave ring having at least one boss extending
axially outward therefrom, and wherein at least one of the
plurality of magnets is disposed on the at least one boss.
11. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 9, wherein the
housing includes a cylindrical outer wall and an annular flange
extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical outer
wall.
12. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 11, wherein the
cylindrical outer wall and the annular flange are integrally
formed.
13. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 12, the housing
further includes a grill support disposed within the cylindrical
outer wall, the plurality of magnets fixably secured to the grill
support.
14. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 9, wherein the
housing includes a cylindrical outer wall and an annular flange
extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical outer
wall, the cylindrical outer wall and the annular flange integrally
formed together of plastic.
15. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 14, wherein the
housing includes a concave ring having at least one boss extending
axially outward therefrom, the concave ring disposed within the
cylindrical outer wall, and wherein at least one of the plurality
of magnets is disposed on the at least one boss.
16. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 14, wherein the
housing includes a mounting fixture configured to support the
speaker within a ceiling or wall or a room and a grill support, the
plurality of magnets fixedly secured to the grill support.
17. An architectural speaker assembly comprising: a speaker; a
mounting fixture configured to support the speaker within a ceiling
or wall or a room; a grill configured to at least partially conceal
the speaker; a grill support engaged to said mounting fixture, said
grill support having an inclined wall offset from said grill, said
grill support including a number of bosses projecting from said
inclined wall toward said grill; and at least one permanent magnet
disposed on each of the bosses.
18. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 17, wherein the
speaker comprises a co-axial speaker.
19. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 17, wherein the
concave wall extends radially and axially outward of the
speaker.
20. The architectural speaker assembly of claim 19, wherein the
mounting fixture includes a cylindrical outer wall integrally
formed with an annular flange extending radially outward from one
end of the cylindrical outer wall.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/643,949, filed Jan. 14, 2005, and which
is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to architectural speakers, and
especially to speakers that are installed into a ceiling or wall to
blend in with other typical fixtures.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Architectural speakers are designed to present a visual
impression that does not interrupt the visual impression of a room.
In room sound systems, it is often desirable to place the speakers
in the ceiling, out of the normal line of sight. The speakers
themselves have been engineered to deliver uniform and clear sound
throughout the listening area. In one typical speaker design, the
speaker is co-axial, meaning that the tweeter, or high frequency
speaker, is located in the middle of the woofer, or low/mid
frequency speaker. This configuration not only optimizes the
acoustic performance of the architectural speaker, it also
minimizes the profile or envelope occupied by the speaker. From a
performance standpoint, this reduced profile allows the use of a
larger woofer for richer low end performance. From an aesthetic
standpoint, the reduced profile presents as small a disruption as
possible to the overall decor of the room as possible.
[0004] Perhaps the most important component of the aesthetics of an
architectural speaker assembly is the grill, or speaker cover. The
grill covers the speaker components (woofer and tweeter) which are
usually not designed for their aesthetic appeal. The grill or
speaker cover is also configured at a minimum to avoid interfering
with the sound quality of the speaker, and at a maximum to help
enhance the sound performance.
[0005] In many cabinet-style speakers, the speaker cover is
composed of a cloth material that is often selected to present a
particular visual impression. On the other hand, for the typical
architectural speaker, especially for the in-ceiling speaker, it is
preferred that the grill be as "transparent" as possible with
respect to the surrounding ceiling or wall. It is therefore
desirable that the grill be configured to essentially blend into
the surrounding surface. To help achieve that goal, the grills on
most architectural speakers are formed of a material that can be
easily painted to match the color of the surrounding surface.
[0006] Optimally, the grill is removably mounted to the speaker
support structure. Removability allows ready access to the speaker
components as needed. In addition, removability allows replacement
of the speaker grill if it becomes damaged, or removal to touch-up
or re-paint the grill. Many mounting mechanisms interrupt the
desired clean, blended appearance of the grill. For instance, U.S.
Pat. No. 5,828,765 shows one mounting mechanism in which the grill
is held in place by external screws. The screws are partially
concealed in recesses defined in the grill, which disrupts the
grill surface. From a manufacturing approach, the grill design of
the '765 patent is complicated by the need to form the screw
recesses.
[0007] In another approach, as represented by U.S. Pat. No.
6,568,503, clamp segments clamp the edge of the grill to an exposed
edge of the speaker frame. This approach requires access to the
sides of the grill for removal of the clamp segments, which thus
necessitates a gap between the speaker grill and the surrounding
wall or ceiling surface. Moreover, the use of the clamp segments
requires that the edge of the grill be offset from the wall surface
so that the grill does not present an uninterrupted surface in the
room. A similar problem exists with the grill attachment mechanism
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,979 in which the edges of the grill itself
form clamp segments.
[0008] One design employs magnetic force from the speaker magnet to
hold the speaker grill over the cone. While this approach addresses
many of the shortcomings of other prior art, it has only been
available in expensive speaker designs because it requires a
speaker coil magnet that is sufficient strong and/or of a special
or limited design that is close to the grill.
[0009] There is a need in the design of architectural speakers for
a grill and grill attachment mechanism that does not disrupt the
aesthetics of the room, and which does not result in a substantial
increase in the price of the speaker. The attachment mechanism must
permit easy removal and replacement of the grill, most preferably
with the need for tools. The grill and attachment mechanism should
not interfere with the acoustic performance of the speaker.
SUMMARY
[0010] The present invention addresses the above needs, as well as
others, by providing a speaker having a housing that includes a
magnetic interface with a grill. The speaker may take any suitable
shape or size. In this manner, the problems of the prior art may be
overcome without resorting to expensive speaker architectures.
[0011] A first embodiment of the invention is an architectural
speaker system that includes a speaker, a mounting fixture, a
grill, and a grill support. The mounting fixture is configured to
support the speaker within a ceiling or wall or a room. The grill
is configured to at least partially conceal the speaker. The grill
support is engaged to the mounting fixture. The grill support
defines a wall surrounding the speaker and has a inclined surface
offset from said grill. The grill support includes a number of
bosses projecting from the inclined surface toward the grill. A
magnetic interface is provided between each of the bosses and the
grill.
[0012] A second embodiment of the invention is an architectural
speaker system having a speaker, a housing, a grill and a plurality
of magnets. The housing is configured to support the speaker within
a ceiling or wall or a room. The grill is configured to at least
partially conceal the speaker. The plurality of magnets is disposed
about the speaker and is fixably secured to the housing. The grill
is configured to be magnetically retained in a fixed position with
respect to the housing by the plurality of magnets.
[0013] The above described embodiments allow for flexibility in
speaker design while obtaining the benefits of eliminating issues
relating to other methods of coupling the speaker grill to the
housing of an architectural speaker.
[0014] The above described features and advantages, as well as
others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary
skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description
and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the components of
an architectural speaker assembly according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded side of the architectural speaker
assembly shown in FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the architectural
speaker assembly of FIGS. 1-2 with the speaker grill removed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the
embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the
following written specification. It is understood that no
limitation to the scope of the invention is thereby intended. It is
further understood that the present invention includes any
alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and
includes further applications of the principles of the invention as
would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this
invention pertains.
[0019] In accordance with the present invention, an architectural
speaker assembly 10 includes a speaker 12, mounting fixture 14,
grill support 16 and grill 18, as shown in FIGS. 1-2. The speaker
12 can be of any known design. In the illustrated embodiment, the
speaker is a co-axial speaker with a woofer 20 and a centrally
supported tweeter 22. A magnet driver 24 drives a speaker cone 30
which floats between the woofer and tweeter and the magnet driver.
The magnet driver is supported by a speaker frame that is attached
to a mounting ring 26. The mounting ring 26 defines a number of
mounting holes 27 through which pass screws to affix the speaker to
the mounting fixture 14. An annular outer rim 28 is defined on the
mounting ring that helps position the grill support 16 as described
herein.
[0020] The speaker 12 is supported in a ceiling or a wall by a
mounting fixture 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the fixture is
configured for in-ceiling mounting of the architectural speaker
assembly 10. The mounting fixture 14 therefore comprises a facing
ring 35 that rests against the exposed ceiling surface when the
speaker 10 is installed. The facing ring 35 is exposed to the room
so it is preferably designed to complement the room aesthetics. In
the preferred embodiment, the facing ring 35 is thin so its
prominence beyond the ceiling surface is minimized. The
frusto-conical shape of the ring improves its ability to blend into
the surrounding ceiling surface. As with the grill 18, the facing
ring 35 is formed of a material that can be easily painted to match
the room decor. As with most of the mounting fixture, the facing
ring 35 is preferably molded form a plastic material.
[0021] Integral with the facing ring 35 is a speaker enclosure 37
which includes a mounting ring 39 which supports the mounting ring
25 of the speaker. The mounting ring defines a number of screw
bores 54 to receive the screws passing through the bores 27 in the
speaker mounting ring to fix the speaker within the enclosure 37.
The enclosure further includes a cylindrical side wall 41 that
encircles the speaker 12 when it is mounted to the ring 39.
[0022] The side wall 41 also provides an interface with the grill
support 16. To that end, the side wall defines a number of notches
43 that are provided to assist in removing the grill support 16
from the mounting fixture 14. A number of mounting bosses 56
project from the mounting ring 39 adjacent the side wall 41 to
interface with bosses 66 (FIG. 2) on the grill support. Mounting
screws pass through the mounting bosses 56 from the underside of
the mounting fixture 14 and are threaded into the bosses 66 to
attach the grill support to the mounting fixture. With this
approach, the face (contoured wall 64) of the grill support is not
interrupted by screw holes or mounting features used to fix the
grill support to the mounting fixture.
[0023] The mounting fixture 14 is configured to be mounted within a
ceiling or wall. It is therefore understood that the cylindrical
wall 41 of the speaker enclosure 37 extends through a complementary
hole cut into the ceiling or wall surface. The mounting components
of the fixture may vary depending upon the material of the ceiling
or wall. However, in the typical case, the room surfaces are formed
from drywall or sheet rock, so direct mounting the wall surface is
prohibitive. In most architectural speaker installations, the
mounting fixture mates with a within-wall fixture that is attached
to wall joists or beams. To that end, the mounting fixture 14 of
the present embodiment includes hollow mounting posts 45 projecting
from the back of the mounting ring 39. The mounting posts receive
long screws 48 that may be wood screws to be driven into a support
joist behind the speaker opening. The screws 48 are introduced from
the front of the fixture 14 through screw bosses 49 (FIG. 1). The
mounting posts 45 also slidably support mounting dogs 47 that are
configured to clamp onto the within-wall fixture as the screws 48
are tightened. In particular, as the screws are tightened, the dogs
47 are driven forward into engagement with the other fixture. The
mounting posts 45 are configured to allow rotation of the dogs 47
at the end of the posts, so that the mounting fixture 14 can be
easily inserted or removed from the speaker opening in the ceiling
or wall.
[0024] The fixture 14 also includes mounting posts 50 for
supporting an electronics board 52. The electronics board includes
components for driving and controlling the speaker 12, as are
well-known in the art. The embodiments of the present invention may
incorporate any suitable speaker electronics, including but not
limited to those intended for architectural speakers.
[0025] As thus far described, the speaker 12 and mounting fixture
14 may be of a variety of known configurations that permit in-wall
or in-ceiling mounting of the architectural speaker assembly 10.
The installation of the speaker assembly 10 can proceed as is known
in the art, since the present invention does not require alteration
of these standard mounting configurations. However, with respect to
the speaker grill 18, the present invention provides a different
approach to supporting the grill that achieves the desired
un-obtrusive aesthetic effect for the speaker assembly 10.
[0026] In particular, in accordance with one aspect of the
invention, a grill support 16 is provided that mates within the
speaker enclosure 37 of the mounting fixture 14. The grill support
is generally in the configuration of an annular cylindrical
structure, and is preferably formed of a plastic material. The
grill support 16 is preferably in a dark color, such as black, to
blend with the typical woofer 20. Moreover, the dark color of the
grill support will keep it from being visible through the grill
openings 80 (FIG. 1).
[0027] The grill support 16 includes an inner cylindrical wall 60
that is sized to bear against the mounting ring 26 of the speaker
12. The inner cylindrical wall 60 is also preferably sized for a
snug fit within the rim 28 of the mounting ring. This inner wall 60
thus helps stabilize the speaker 12 when it is mounted to the
mounting fixture 14, essentially clamping the speaker mounting ring
26 between the grill support and the fixture. This clamping
significantly reduces spurious vibration of the speaker during
operation.
[0028] The grill support 16 further comprises an outer cylindrical
wall 62 concentrically disposed about the inner wall 60. The outer
wall 62 is sized to fit snugly within the speaker enclosure 37, or
more particular snugly against the fixture side wall 41. A tight
fit between the grill support outer wall 62 and the fixture
enclosure 37 also helps reduce spurious mechanical vibration of the
speaker assembly 10. As explained above, the grill support 16 also
includes screw bosses 66 that receive screws passing through the
bosses 56 in the mounting fixture 14. It can be appreciated that
the grill support 16 and speaker 12 are assembled with the mounting
fixture 14 before the fixture is mounted within the ceiling or
wall.
[0029] The grill support 16 defines a contoured annular wall 64.
The wall 64 surrounds the speaker and is concave outwardly (see
FIG. 2) from the face of the speaker. With this construction, the
grill support does not impair the acoustic performance of the
speaker 12. The contoured annular wall is essentially offset from
the grill 18 to form an acoustic cavity immediately adjacent the
driven speaker components which may enhance the sound quality by
helping to direct the acoustic waves emanating from the woofer
20.
[0030] In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the
grill support 16 is provided with a number of magnet bosses 70
projecting outward from the contoured wall 64. Each boss 70
supports a magnet 72 that is fixed within a bore in the boss. The
magnet 72 may be an Alnico or neodium permanent magnet. The magnet
72 is preferably fixed within the boss 70 by epoxy or glue so that
the magnet cannot be removed. Alternatively, the magnet may be
press-fit or the boss may be configured to incorporate a lip at the
opening of the bore 71 that physically restrains the magnet within
the bore. It is especially important that the magnet 72 be fixed
within the boss 70 where the speaker assembly 10 is an in-ceiling
speaker to avoid the risk of accidental dislodgment of the magnets
72 from their respective bosses 70.
[0031] As contemplated, the grill 18 is formed of a magnetic
material (i.e. a material that can be attracted to a permanent or
electromagnetic force, but not necessarily having its own magnetic
attractive force) so that the magnets 72 can easily hold the grill
on the grill support 16, against the force of gravity. The magnets
72 must therefore be strong enough to resist gravity, but are also
preferably strong enough to hold the grill in place even when
subject to a moderate external force. In the illustrated
embodiment, three magnets 72 are used to hold the grill 18 in
place. At least three magnets are most preferred that are uniformly
spaced around the perimeter of the grill 18 to provide the optimum
holding power. While a greater number of magnets may be utilized to
allow a reduction in the size of each individual magnet, more
magnets means more bosses 70 which increases the disruption of the
contoured wall 64. In one specific embodiment, for an eight inch
speaker assembly, the grill 18 has a diameter of about 91/2%
inches. For this size grill, the three permanent magnets have a
diameter of less than 1/2 inch, so the magnets present only a
minimal disruption in the contoured wall 64.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the face 73 of the magnets 72 is
situated slightly beyond the outer wall 62 of the grill support.
However, when the grill support 16 is fixed within the speaker
enclosure, the magnet faces 73 reside just inside the surface of
the facing ring 35. In a further aspect of the invention, the grill
18 includes a visible decorative face 75 and an opposite inner face
77 that engages the magnets 72. It can be appreciated that the
inner face is continuous so that the grill can be engaged to the
magnets anywhere along the face 77 without requiring a specific
orientation of the grill relative to the mounting fixture or grill
support.
[0033] In a further feature of the invention, the grill defines an
outer rim 79. This outer rim 79 fits within a circumferential
channel 83 defined between the outer wall 62 of the grill support
16 and the side wall 41 of the mounting fixture 14 when the grill
support is mounted within the enclosure 37 of the fixture. The
outer rim 79 fits snugly within this channel to present a
substantially continuous appearance between the facing ting 35 and
the grill 18. In addition, the outer rim 79 eliminates exposed
edges of the grill that may be snagged to inadvertently dislodge
the grill from the speaker assembly. The channel 83 has an outer
diameter that is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the
grill rim 79 to provide access for a prying tool, such as a thin
screwdriver, to dislodge the grill.
[0034] The illustrated embodiment relates to a preferred circular
speaker assembly 10. However, the present invention can be used for
other shapes of speaker enclosures, such as rectangular. Of course,
the shape of the grill may be modified to accommodate the different
speaker enclosure shapes. Moreover, depending upon the shape,
additional magnets 72 may be provided. For instance, for a
rectangular enclosure and grill, four magnets may be preferred,
with one magnet at each corner of the rectangular grill.
[0035] The present invention provides an architectural speaker
assembly that incorporates a magnetic interface to support a flush
mounted grill. This magnetic interface is preferably accomplished
by a number of discrete permanent magnets. For a circular speaker
grill, three individual magnets are preferably used to support the
grill while minimizing the intrusion of the magnets and their
support bosses into the acoustic opening of the speaker.
[0036] In one feature of the invention, the magnets are mounted in
a grill support that is attached to a mounting fixture configured
to mount the speaker assembly in a ceiling or wall. The grill
support cooperates with the mounting fixture to restrain the
speaker. In addition, the grill support cooperates with the
mounting fixture to support the grill substantially flush with the
facing ring of the mounting fixture. In a further feature, the
grill includes an outer rim that is concealed within a channel
defined between the grill support and the mounting fixture. In yet
another aspect of the invention, the grill support defines a
contoured surface on which the magnets are supported, with the
surface contoured to preserve the acoustic performance of the
speaker.
[0037] While the invention has been illustrated and described in
detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same should
be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It
is understood that only the preferred embodiments have been
presented and that all changes, modifications and further
applications that come within the spirit of the invention are
desired to be protected.
[0038] For instance, while the preferred embodiment contemplates
that the entire grill is formed of a magnetic material, only
portions of the grill need include the magnetic material. In an
alternative embodiment, discrete strips of magnetic material can be
affixed to the grill for engagement with the magnets 72. In this
embodiment, the grill itself may be formed of aluminum with a ring
of magnetic material affixed to the inner face 77 radially aligned
with the magnets 72.
[0039] As a further alternative, the ring of magnetic material can
itself be a magnet. In this alternative, the magnets 72 mounted in
the bosses 70 need not be magnets themselves, but instead may
simply be a material that is attracted to magnetic force.
[0040] In the preferred embodiment, the front wall 64 of the grill
support 16 is contoured or concave, with the magnet bosses 70
projecting away from the wall. Alternatively, the front wall may be
substantially flat and/or inclined, but recessed from the front of
the support. In this alternative configuration, the magnet bosses
70 will still project forward from the modified wall and will still
retain the benefit of the prior embodiment in that the bosses do
not impair the acoustic performance of the speaker assembly. This
offset wall also retains the acoustic cavity aspect of the
contoured wall 64 of the prior embodiment.
[0041] It will be appreciated that the mounting fixture 14 and the
grill support 16 form a housing for the speaker 12 that may be
formed in other ways. For example, the novel features of the
mounting fixture 14 and the grill support 16 may be implemented on
a single housing structure or housing assembly.
* * * * *